


MAKING THE SHADOW MAKER

by Fangirl71



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl71/pseuds/Fangirl71
Summary: TRIGGER WARNING!!!We are talking about how a person became an immortal being that turns others into shadows, so we will be touching on some dark themes including but not limited to: abuse, bullies, torture, animal torture, murder, death and sexual assault.
Kudos: 1





	MAKING THE SHADOW MAKER

TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
We are talking about how a person became an immortal being that turns others into shadows, so we will be touching on some dark themes including but not limited to: abuse, bullies, torture, animal torture, murder, death and sexual assault.

Sammy slowly walked up to the apartment door. Everything looked normal. He glanced back over his shoulder at Ben who was sitting in the still running car. Ben nodded encouragingly and gave him a semi-enthusiastic thumb up out the window. Sammy turned back and started slowly up the walk. 

When he got to the door, Sammy gingerly tried the handle. It was unlocked. He opened the door and cautiously entered the home he shared with Ben and Lily. Everything looked normal. He could tell that the girls left in a hurry, but nothing was horribly out of place. It didn’t look like anyone else had been there since the book went crazy.

He stood in the middle of the living room, unmoving and listened for anyone who might be hiding. He didn’t know how he let Ben talk him into this, but thought to himself “If Tim 1000 doesn’t kill him, I just might.”

He jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from Ben; “Do you see the book?”

Sammy looked around before answering. “Yes. On the floor by the table.” He walked over and bent down to inspect the book before picking it up.

“Sammy?”

Hearing the voice behind him, Sammy froze! It felt like hours before he was able to turn around. When he did, he was facing a tall black shadow with glowing red eyes. Eyes that stared right through him. He took an involuntary step back, bumping into the dining room table.  
“It’s so good to see you, Sammy,” the shadow said. It was Jack’s voice. It was meant to sound cheerful, but it was off. Somehow. Cold, sending a chill down Sammy’s spine. It was the voice from the radio station.

“Who are you?” Sammy asked, trying to sound braver than he felt.

“What do you mean? It’s me. I came all this way to see you, and this is how you say ‘Hello’?” the shadow replied, “I thought you’d be happy to see me after all this time.”

Sammy felt around behind him maneuvering to put the dining room table between him and the shadow.

“What’s the matter, Sammy?”

“Where’s Jack?”

“I’m right her, Sammy.” The shadow inched closer.

“NO!” Sammy yelled in response. “The real Jack! Where’s MY Jack?”

“Sammy? Don’t you recognize me, Sweetheart?” Its face began to take on human features.

“Answer me!” Sammy screamed.

The Shadow didn’t reply. It just came closer. Sammy could now make out the familiar features of Jack’s face. All but the eyes. The empty, hollow, red glowing eyes.

The Shadow had moved around the table and was now standing close enough that Sammy could touch him. Sammy tried to back away, but he couldn’t move. The Shadow now looking like a fully formed person, reached out a hand toward Sammy, it softly caressed his cheek. It was a gesture that should have felt safe and familiar, instead the hand, if you could call it that, was as cold as ice and Sammy felt it all the way in his bones. Sammy closed his eyes tight as the shadow tilted it’s head to the side slightly is it leaned in closer to him…

“DON’T YOU TOUCH HIM!” Someone yelled from far away

Sammy jumped and shook his head, clearing the fog he hadn’t felt until just that moment.

The Shadow let out a scream like something out of a horror movie before turning toward the voice, locking eyes with Ben who had stormed into the apartment and was making his way toward them. “This isn’t over, little man!” it shrieked before disappearing.

“Woooooo! Sure, everyone has something to say about my height,” Ben mumbled. “I was tall enough to scare you away!” He yelled into thin air.

“Ben!” Sammy said, the spell broken, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be waiting in the car!”

“You didn’t answer any of my texts. I even tried calling. I got worried that something might have happened. Then I saw the lights flickering off and on. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Call Troy and get the hell out of here like we agreed.” Sammy scolded.

Ben ignored him, walking over to where Death by Damnation was still lying on the floor. He saw Sammy’s phone nearby and picked it up holding it out to Sammy who was walking toward him, “I guess this explains why you didn’t answer.”

Sammy took the phone and glanced at the screen seeing multiple missed texts and calls. He shoved it into his picket and headed to his room. “Come on. Get what you need so we can get out of here.”

The boys each went to their rooms and packed some clothes and their notebooks that got left behind when the girls left the night before. On the way out Sammy grabbed Lily’s bag that was by the couch and headed to the door.

“Sammy?” Ben stopped halfway to the door. “Should we…” he trailed off indicating the book still on the floor.

Sammy turned and saw Ben looking at Death by Damnation still lying on the floor. He thought about it for a fraction of a second before handing Lily’s bag to Ben and going to retrieve the book. “Let’s get out of here before I change my mind.”

As they left and locked the door behind themselves, neither Sammy nor Ben noticed the pretty blond woman standing in the kitchen next to the newly reformed shadow.

*** *** ***

“Well, King Falls, you’ve heard our story, let’s hear yours. The phone lines are open.” Sammy said into his mic. 

“But first, make some money, boys,” Lily said barging into the studio unannounced. 

“Jack in the Box Jesus!” Sammy said nearly jumping out of his chair. 

“U-umm, well folks, it looks like we have an unexpected visitor, Lily Wright.” Ben announced, his voice shaking slightly. “What’s wrong, Lily? Is it Emily?” He asked frantically when he saw the look of concern on her face.

“This.” She said holding up a small book as if to answer Ben’s question. “It was in my bag. The one you guys brought from the house. Did one of you put it in there?” 

Ben and Sammy looked at each other confused and shook their heads. “No,” they said in unison. 

“Neither did Emily. So where did it come from?” She put the book on the desk where the boys could get a better look at it. It was one of those diaries that little girls have. The cover was decorated in stickers of flowers, unicorns, and sparkly little hearts with smiley faces. It also had a broken heart shaped lock. 

“Why do I know this book?” Sammy asked no one in particular. He grabbed the book and opened it to a random page in the middle. “It’s a list. A list of names…” Sammy trailed off. 

“OUR names.” Lily said. 

“And the phone number to the station?” Ben asked. 

Sammy looked across the desk at Ben and they both said “Debbie!” 

“It looks like the one she described,” Sammy said, dropping it in horror. 

“Guys! Commercial!” Lily said reaching across the desk and pushing the play button before continuing. “That’s not the strangest part, it lead Emily and I to this,” she held up a folder of loose paper. They looked like the pages from one of Ben’s many notebooks, only older and worn out. “And this says some creepy shit!” Lily said dropping it on the desk next to the diary. 

The station hotline rang causing the group to jump! Ben’s arm reached out reflexively and he pressed the button to answer. “King Falls AM, you’re on the air.” 

“Oh. My. Gawd.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar sound of Archie’s voice. “Are you all talking about that call from a few years back when that ghost lady sicked the demon tornado on Troy?” 

“Apparition.” Sammy corrected automatically. 

“She’s not an apparition, she’s something else.” Ben chimed in. 

“Uh Um!” Archie cleared his throat. 

“Sorry, Archie.” Ben answered. “Yes, it looks like the diary Debbie found. Did you have a question or some information about it?” 

“No. I was just sitting here in the Florida room with Rufus and the Princess. We were listening to you all yammering on and it sounded like you were going to put on an ad. You’d better have been ready to play a Pomchie Palace ad with the prices Merv is charging me!” Archie said in his usual sassy tone. “But nothing happened. We just heard you all talking about the books. Do I need to get my boom box?” 

“NO!” all three exclaimed together. 

“Thanks for letting us know, Archie. We’ll make sure to play your ad next.” Ben added. 

“Well… I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but forget the ad, what did Miss Lily find?” Archie said, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“Well, it wasn’t me, it was Emily who discovered it,“ Lily answered. 

“You’re sure Emily’s OK?” Ben asked, half rising out of his chair ready to leave the station and go check on her. 

“She’s fine, Ben. At home sleeping. I asked Katie to check in on her after her shift. And I left a note telling her where I am.

“Fellas! And lady.” Archie chimed in again. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben said half ignoring Archie. “What exactly is it, Lily?” 

“It’s the missing pages from Death by Damnation. You know how there were pages that were torn out of the back? This looks like them. I even held a few of them up to the book, and they match. Kind of. There are other pages that look like notebook paper, or scraps of paper from something else. And there’s something about a missing little girl I vaguely remember Ben talking about.”

“And?” Sammy asked. “Give it to Troy or Katie. It’s probably evidence.”

“Katie knows about them. She made copies. She also knows that weird things will probably happen in connection with the diary, so she thinks it and the pages so she thinks that we will have better use of them.” 

“What? W-w-why would she say that?” Ben asked. 

“Because she knows you know about the girl. You talked about her on the show before. The first time Debbie called.”

“How do you know about that?” Sammy asked vaguely recalling that part of the call himself. “And don’t say ‘phenomenal journalist’.”

“Never mind how. I just know. You need to read it,” she insisted.

“OK. Later. Back at home…” Sammy started to say. 

“NO!” Lily insisted. “This can’t wait. Why do you think I told you now instead of waiting until we were all off work? You need to read this. Now.” She hesitated a second before adding, “On the air.” 

“Come on, Benny!” Archie’s voice came through the phone again. “Don’t keep us in suspense. You know how Rufus likes a good ghost story. Read it. “ 

“It’s Ben. And fine, good night, Archie!” Ben said, finally pressing the button to disconnect the line. 

“OK, King Falls,” Sammy said reluctantly into the mic again, “you’ve heard our story, and now I guess it’s time to hear someone else’s story. Some else’s creepy, scary, and most likely deeply disturbing story. Sorry, Ben.” With that, he opened the folder to the first page. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ben said.

Sammy started by describing what he was looking at, “There were no names or dates on the pages. It looks more like someone was writing a story, like they were writing it down so they didn’t forget it. Or maybe to force themselves to remember. The handwriting is messy in places, like a child has written it. “ 

Sammy began to read: 

"The boy turned 10 today. His mom forgot. His mom’s boyfriend was mad at him for not cleaning out the garage. In addition to getting himself grounded he could already feel the bruise beginning to form on his eye. So, he crawled out of his bedroom window thinking he’d just sleep in the woods behind his house. There was a campground, and there were several small caves scattered around that he could sleep in. Anyway it was better than listening to them fight. And even that was preferable to listening to them make up.  
He grabbed his sleeping bag and went exploring trying to decide where to spend the night. That was when he saw it. It was a dead body. It had obviously been there for a while, but it wasn’t gross and gooey like they show in the movies. It was face down and its head was lying on a rock covered in a dark stain that was probably blood. It was a man. But there was no way of telling how old he was or just how long he had been there. He looked in the man’s pockets but there was no driver’s license or anything that had his name on it. There was a sickening sweet smell coming from him that the boy assumed was rot like they described on the cop shows on TV. The boy rolled the body over, and there was a hole in the man’s stomach that looked like something had dug its way in.  
He wondered if he should go back home and tell someone. But he didn’t think anyone would believe him. He also thought about telling some of the other kids at school. Maybe if he told them about the body they’d stop picking on him and beating him up all the time. Maybe they would even be his friends. But most likely they would just call him a liar and pick on him some more.  
But maybe, if he had something to show them, some kind of proof that he wasn’t lying and that there really was a dead body in the woods. He examined the man more closely and saw that he was wearing a ring. The boy grabbed the body’s hand and began tugging at the ring. He must have pulled too hard because he pulled the man’s finger clean off along with the ring. At least that would certainly prove he wasn’t lying. He tore off a piece of the man’s shirt to wrap the finger in and put it in his pocket for safekeeping.  
The next day he decided not to show his new treasure to anyone. Instead he found an old shoebox and put it in there, hiding it way in the back of his closet. Sometimes, when he was scared, he would take it out and look at it to remind himself that at least he wasn’t too scared to touch a dead body.”

“Well, I’ll never sleep again.” Sammy stopped reading and said with a look of disgust. 

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna be sick!” Ben added. “Maybe we shouldn’t read this on the air. I don’t think Merv…”

“It’s important!” Lily cut him off. “Trust me. Keep reading!”

Sammy turned to the next page and continued reading:

“Middle school was worse than elementary school. It was a new school, but it was the same group of assholes and bullies as before. Albert still pushed him into the wall of lockers or down the stairs. He pushed the boy down in the locker room in gym class. That would have been bad enough but he kicked the boy in the stomach and again in the thigh barely missing his balls. Then he took the boy’s clothes. All of them. Even his underwear. The coach had to give the boy something out of the lost and found box to wear. The only shirt they had was pink. He didn’t go back to class. He walked home; he didn’t want the other kids to see him cry.  
As he walked home he imagined how much he wanted to hit Albert back. He imagined what it would feel like to have his fist connect with Albert’s face. The feel of the flesh giving way from the blow and the bone crunching from being hit so hard. He imagined the blood that would pour from Albert’s mouth and nose and it made him happy. But he didn’t hit Albert back, he was too scared. He was nothing but a big baby, just like Albert said. Just like his mom’s newest boyfriend said. One day he would hit Albert back. No, one day he would KILL Albert. He would hit him, and push him on the ground, and smash his head against the floor until it was nothing but mush!  
When he got home his mom was passed out drunk and half naked on the couch and her boyfriend and some other man he had never seen before were standing over her. They were both naked too.  
The boyfriend asked the boy what he was doing home so early but the boy didn’t answer. He just went to his room and locked the door. He wanted to change clothes and crawl into bed, but he didn’t. He was afraid. Afraid of the knock that he would eventually hear on his door before his mom’s boyfriend came in and made him do things. Things he didn’t want to do. Things he didn’t want to think about. Things his mother saw and ignored as she poured herself another drink or took more pills. Instead he grabbed a change of clothes, stuffed them into his backpack and crawled out of his bedroom window heading toward the woods. When he was halfway across the yard he heard a crash that he assumed was his bedroom door, and he saw the boyfriend stick his head out the window and yell before he broke into a run.”

“Damn…” Ben muttered quietly.

“Yeah,” Sammy answered. “I’m guessing this isn’t the only time he talks about being abused?” He asked Lily. She only shook her head silently. 

“The boy did everything he could to avoid Albert and his gang. He even tried to change his schedule so he didn’t have gym with them, but the asshole principal wouldn’t let him. He said the boy needed to learn to stick up for himself. When the boy got home his mother seemed like she was sober enough for him to talk to. He started to tell his her what happened but her boyfriend interrupted and agreed with the principal, calling the boy a pussy and punching him for being a baby. His mother actually stood up for him, but all that did was cause her boyfriend to hit her too. The boy tried to leave, but the boyfriend grabbed him, and said he was going to show the boy how a real man behaved. Then he pushed his mother on the floor and forced himself on his mother. The boy wanted to look away, but he didn’t dare. He knew from experience what would happen if he did.”

“Jack in the Box Jesus! This guy is sick! I hope he got arrested or something! Tell me this sick bastard gets what he deserves!” Ben said to no one in particular.

“I don’t know,” Lily replied. “It doesn’t say. But this isn’t about him. It’s about the kid. But I certainly hope he got what was coming to him.”

"The boy noticed a new student in school today. His name was David. The new kid was weird. He had long hair and wore all black. Black combat boots. Black jeans. Black t-shirt. Black coat. Even in the warm weather. At least Albert left the boy alone for a few days, he was busy tormenting David. He didn’t seem to mind though; he was good at ignoring Albert. The boy wished he could do that too.  
The boy had been hanging out with David for a few months. It was nice because Albert didn’t bother them as much when they were together. And David was cool. He would sneak cigarettes and beers from his parent’s. Sometimes pills too. It was nice. They hung out in the woods a lot. They found an old abandoned camper and stashed their stuff there. Sometimes they would get drunk and talk about beating up Albert. Sometimes they even talked about killing him. The boy confessed that sometimes he heard voices telling him to bring a knife to school and stab Albert with it. When he confessed this, David told him that he had guns hidden and buried near the camper.”

“Just when I was feeling better that he had a friend…” Sammy said. 

“Look, guys, I know it seems weird, and even wrong, that I’m having you read this on air. And trust me, I know it’s some sick stuff. Believe me, I wish I’d never read it in the first place, much less have Sammy read it out loud. But you have to trust me on this. It’s important and you need the context.” Lily tried to reassure them. 

“Uh, guys,” Ben pointed to the phones. “The lines are all lit up. Should we take a caller?”

Sammy didn’t wait for Lily to answer, “Lucky line seven, you’re on the air,” and he pressed the button to engage the line. 

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” A deep voice came over the airwaves. “You’re messing with forces you don’t understand.” 

“Who is this?” Ben asked too late. The caller hung up and Ben was answered by a dial tone. 

“That’s not ominous at all,” Sammy said. 

“Yeah, I admit even I didn’t like that.” Lily agreed. 

Sammy shook his head and continued to read about the boy.

“The boy and David spent most of their time in the wood. As time passed they began to experiment more with drugs and alcohol, spending most of their time either high or passed out in the camper. Sometimes the boy would wake up and not know what day it was or what he had been doing. More than once he found himself covered in blood and surrounded by dead animals and only vague memories of how they got there. David taught him how to trap and kill small animals for food, but the boy began to enjoy killing the animals. Even if he wasn’t planning on eating them. Sometimes he would just kill the animals for fun, even adding their small bones in his shoebox. Again he began to imagine killing Albert. Sometimes he dreamed of killing other people too. But sometimes he had nightmares. He dreamed about shadows with red glowing eyes.”

“That’s not good.” Ben interrupted Sammy. “That sounds like…”

“Our dreams.” Sammy finished Ben’s sentence, but looked at Lily. “It sounds just like our dreams. Is this why you wanted me to read this?”

“Partly,” Lily answered. “But there is a much bigger reason. And you’re almost there. I promise.”

Sammy looked and realized that he only had a few pages left, so he continued to read.

“By the time he was 15 the boy had stopped going to school. Things were getting worse at home. Between his mother’s endless string of boyfriends, and how she would sometimes ‘lend him’ to them for extra cash or drugs, he spent most of his time in the woods or at David’s house. Sometimes he would break into someone’s house or car if he knew they were gone.  
One night it was too cold to sleep outside so he snuck into his mom’s house to sleep in his old room. He did this sometimes if his mom was between boyfriends or if she wasn’t home. That night he didn’t count on her coming back when she did. Of course she wasn’t alone. He was about to leave when he heard yelling followed by his mother scream. He ran out of the room to see a man standing over his mother’s limp body with a bloody knife.  
The boy rushed at the man, tackling him to the ground. He pushed the man’s head into the carpet but the man was bigger and stronger. It only took a minute for him to buck the boy off and get up on his feet. The boy was smaller, but he was quick. He scrambled to his feet and squared off against the man. The boy went into blind rage. He didn’t know what happened next, all he knew was that he heard the blood rushing in his ears and he literally saw red. Then it was as if someone had taken over his body, controlling his movements. He didn’t know how he got the knife, but he found himself sitting on the man on the floor plunging the knife into him over and over again. He could feel the hot sticky blood covering his hands and spraying him in the face. He could smell the coppery stench of the blood every time he plunged the knife into the man’s chest.  
That was when he heard it. A deep, sinister laugh. At first he thought he was laughing, but the laugh was coming from somewhere else. Something else. He looked around the room and saw them. Shadows. Dozens of them. On the walls. On the ceiling. Kneeling beside him. But there was one that was larger than the others. And this one had a face. Well, maybe not a face, but eyes. Red glowing eyes that stared straight through him.  
The large shadow reached out what looked like a gnarled hand and picked up the boy by his neck. ‘Now’ it said, ‘you’re ready.’ And the boy passed out.  
He faded in and out of consciousness most of the time. When he finally opened his eyes, he couldn’t see anything, it was pitch black. All he could see were eyes. Hundreds of sets of red eyes. And they were all staring at him.  
For the next few months the boy had dreams about the shadows and the eyes almost every night. When he woke up he was angry and wanted to hurt someone. One morning he noticed that someone new had moved into his mother’s old house. They seemed like a typical family. Mom, dad, a couple of kids, a puppy. He watched them for a long time from the woods. He paid particular attention when the little girl, Karen, was outside playing.  
One afternoon the puppy must have seen or smelled him in the woods lurking behind the house. The girl was crying and calling for the dog. The boy caught the dog and stepped out from behind the trees to show the girl that he had it. He told the girl she had to come and get the puppy because it was hurt. He twisted the dog’s leg causing it to cry and making the girl rush toward him. When the girl got close enough he dropped the dog to the ground stomping on it’s head, killing it and hitting the girl in the head with a rock, knocking her out.  
When the girl woke up she screamed at the sight of a rotting corpse lying next to her. She didn’t know it, but it was the body of a boy who used to be called David. She didn’t know where she was, but the boy had locked her in his old camper in the woods.  
He was outside when he heard her scream. He was scared but he was also excited. He could see the shadows coming out from behind the trees and he could hear them whispering. They were telling him to hurt the girl. To kill her. Just like they told him every other time he killed someone. They were rushing at the camper causing it to rock back and forth making the girl scream and cry even more. The boy picked up a rock and went back into the camper…”

The phone in the studio rang causing everyone to jump. Sammy let out a scream and nearly fell out of his chair. 

Ben took a deep breath and saw that the hotline was ringing. Afraid that it might actually be Merv, this time, he quickly answered. “You’re on the air with the Sammy and Ben show…” 

“Benny! Let me talk to Lily!” Emily interrupted from the other end of the line. 

“She’s right here, Emily. Is everything OK” Ben asked worried. 

“Lily!” Emily said ignoring Ben. “What the hell are you doing? We agreed not to tell boys about the journal until after they were off the air.” 

“I know! I know!” Lily answered, the usual sarcasm missing from her voice replaced by slight hesitation. “But you were asleep and I made an executive decision. Besides, we agreed that it would elicit the best response if it was read on air.”

“I know. But they needed to be warned first.” Emily protested.

“Emily, what’s going on?” Ben asked

“Lily, explain yourself.” Sammy added in his most stern dad voice.

“We found the diary…” Emily started but was interrupted when the station phone lines all began to ring at once. The lights in the station began flickering causing a strobing effect that made Lily raise her arm and cover her eyes. The room vibrated and the air began to pop as it filled with electricity. 

“Emily!” Ben yelled. 

“I’m here!” She replied over the airwaves. “Ben, what’s going on?” 

Before Ben could answer, the room returned to normal and a familiar voice came through the phone. “H-hello?” It sounded far away, like it was coming from a tunnel. “Hello? Is there anyone there?” 

“Hello? Who is this?” Sammy asked, knowing full well who the voice belonged to. It was a friendly, familiar voice of an old friend that he shouldn’t be hearing from anymore. Not since he disappeared into the Devil’s Doorstep a few nights back. 

“Hello? Ben’s Friend?” 

Lily sat in stunned silence staring at the phone. 

“How?” Ben whispered. 

“Cecil?” Emily’s voice could barely be heard in the silence. 

Not knowing what else to do, Sammy answered his friend. “It’s me, Cecil. It’s Sammy. Where are you?” 

“I don’t know. It’s dark. And cold. So cold.” His voice was small and frightened. 

“It’s OK, Cecil. I’m here. Is there anyone else with you?” Sammy asked, trying to sound reassuring. 

“Yes, Samuel.” A deep, sinister voice answered. “There is someone here with your friend.” 

“The Shadow Maker!” Ben whispered as he backing his chair toward the wall behind him and throwing his headphones onto the floor.

“What’s that, Benjamin? Shadow Maker? Is that what you call me? It’s hardly accurate as my children are so much more than mere shadows.”

“What would you prefer we call you then you sick bastard?” Lily demanded. 

“Lily! Shut the fuck up!” Sammy yelled. “Where’s Cecil? I want to talk to Cecil?” Sammy asked of the disembodied voice that now seemed to surround them, not just from the speakers, but from the walls themselves. 

“Ben? Ben’s Friend?” Cecil’s voice sounded further away than before. 

“You don’t demand anything from me, Samuel!” The Shadow Maker bellowed. “Did you think you could get away with steeling my story? Did you think it would go unpunished?” 

“What are you talking about?” Sammy asked frantically! 

“The pages,” Ben answered, putting the pieces together. “It’s him! The boy! The Shadow Maker! They’re the same person!” 

“Very clever, Benjamin. Very clever indeed. All that scribbling you do in those notebooks of yours is making you smarter by the day.” 

“But why?” Ben asked, “Why did you take the boy? How did you take him?” 

“Because he enjoyed it!” Lily explained, “He enjoyed watching the boy struggle with the hand he was dealt, and then watching him get stronger. That’s how the Shadow Maker survives. By manipulating people and taking them over, absorbing them into himself and becoming them.” 

“That’s correct.” The Shadow Maker answered Lily before turning his attention back to Sammy. “I’m only going to tell you this once Samuel Stevens. STOP!” The walls actually shook with the demand. “Stop meddling in things you know nothing about. If you continue down this path those you care about will suffer.” 

The room filled with the sound of screams! Hundreds of screaming voices! Screams of pain. Screams of fear. Sammy pressed his hands over his ears to block the sound but it didn’t do any good. If anything, the screams became louder. He began to make out individual voices! And he could see by the expressions on their faces that Ben and Lily were hearing the same thing that he was! 

They heard Cecil’s cries of pain! They heard Debbie begging him to stop! When they heard Jack, Sammy felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest! 

“JACK!” He yelled before pressing his hands even harder against his ears as if he was trying to crush his own skull just to make the screaming stop! He slumped forward out of his chair and curled into a ball trying to hide from the sound of Jack in pain. 

More familiar voices were being added to the chorus. Troy! Tim! Mary! Hershel! Ron! He saw Ben bolt for the door when they heard Emily. He tried to reach him, but couldn’t move! He couldn’t even call out to stop him!  
Sammy squeezed his eyes as tight as he could but the tears still escaped. He was shaking and crying. His head hurt from the pressure of his hands on his ears. He didn’t know how long he laid there on the studio floor but he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He half rolled, half crawled under the desk before he realized that it was Lily, her hand outstretched waiting for him to take the help she was offering. He saw Ben and Emily crouching behind her. Slowly he lowered his hands from his ears and crawled toward his friends as he realized that he could no longer hear the screams. 

He was immediately wrapped in their arms and he could feel his breathing and heartbeat returning to normal. When he had calmed down they explained that no one was hurt, and as soon as Emily figured out who it was on the phone she rushed to the station. When Ben took off to find her after hearing her scream she was already in the parking lot. When they came back the screaming had stopped. 

“I’m sorry, Sammy!” Lily said, beginning to cry again. “I’m so sorry! I knew we’d be more likely to get a response from him if you were the one reading the story, and that since he almost always contacts you here at the station this would be the best place to read it. Emily was right, I should have told you first! I should have told you what it was! I just didn’t think! I didn’t know he could do that! Oh God, Sammy!!! I’m sorry! I am so sorry!”

Unable to respond Sammy just squeezed her hand. He was glad that everyone was OK, but it would be a while before he was ready to completely forgive Lily. But right now he just wanted to hold onto his friends, no, his family and make sure that they were all OK. He also wanted to get out of the studio.

When he felt strong enough, he stood up, took Ben and Lily by the hands with Emily in tow and walked out of the station where they were met by Troy and Katie who embraced them in another hug before loading everyone into their vehicles and driving back to Troy’s house for coffee and waffles.


End file.
